Auburn, Ala. — Chicken Salad Chick, a Southern-inspired, fast-casual chicken salad restaurant concept, has promoted five existing brand leaders amid the company’s ongoing growth and success. The brand has promoted three executives to its C-suite, including Jim Thompson as chief operating officer, Terry McKee as chief development officer and Tom Carr as chief marketing officer. Additionally, the company has appointed Mary Lou Atkins as vice president of human resources and Carrie Evans as vice president of franchise development. Chicken Salad Chick has grown exponentially in recent years, more than quadrupling …
Newport, Ky., and Atlanta — An affiliate of Roark Capital, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, has closed on an investment in Divisions Maintenance Group. Divisions Maintenance Group is a tech-based provider of integrated facilities maintenance services for prominent retail chains, pharmacies, grocery stores, warehouses, distribution centers and REITs across more than 46,000 locations in all 50 states. Newport, Ky.-based DMG’s proprietary systems and technology connect customers with maintenance solutions to transform their facility program by managing vendors, collecting data and maximizing cost-savings. “We are delighted to partner with Roark,” says …
— By Trent Limban — Snow season will sneak up on you! Now is the time to prepare. Although it’s summertime and blazing hot in most of the country, now is the time when multi-site facility managers should prepare for snow season. It’s best to secure snow season services well in advance because you want to make sure there are contractors and equipment (like large front-end loaders) available to handle the services, and that your sites will be cleared immediately after the snow falls. You want your business …
— By Thomas Holland — When you need disinfection and you need it fast, you have to be careful. As restaurants, retailers and other businesses reopen across the country, they are doing everything in their power to help keep employees and customers safe. Despite all their planning and preparation, however, when COVID-19 arrives on the scene, the initial reaction is often a frantic phone call to the first company that comes to mind, usually a local janitorial or restoration company. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous providers are gouging clients in …
Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. has agreed to acquire the Johnny Rockets restaurant chain from an affiliate of private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, Inc. for approximately $25 million. The deal will be funded through cash on hand and proceeds generated from the company’s securitization facility. The purchase is expected to be completed in September 2020. With the acquisition of Johnny Rockets, FAT Brands will have more than 700 franchised and company-owned restaurants around the globe. Johnny Rockets was founded in 1986 with its first location …
East Hanover, N.J. — To celebrate 35 years of fun and flavor, the SOUR PATCH KIDS® brand is opening its first-ever SOUR PATCH KIDS store in New York City, nestled between New York University’s Washington Square campus and SoHo at Bond Street and Broadway. “We created this new experience for our fans to engage with the SOUR PATCH KIDS brand on a whole new level, but of course understand that these are uncertain times,” says Danielle Freid, brand manager of SOUR PATCH KIDS. “With this store as our new permanent …
Burleson, Texas — Muscle Maker, Inc., the parent company of Muscle Maker Grill, Healthy Joe’s, MMG Burger Bar & Meal Plan AF, has started construction at four campus locations at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). The company plans to be open in late August to welcome the 2020/2021 academic year. The campus locations at Alexandria, Loudoun, Manassas and Woodbridge will offer fare from Muscle Maker Grill and Healthy Joe’s and will also provide grab-n-go options for students and faculty who are on the run. Breakfast will be available at all …
Jacksonville, Fla. — Discount retailer Stein Mart Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. The motion is an effort to maintain operations, including “the payment of employee wages and benefits without interruption, payment of suppliers and vendors in the normal course of business and the use of cash collateral.” Jacksonville, Fla.-based Stein Mart expects to close a significant portion, if not all, of its brick-and-mortar stores. The company has launched a store closing and liquidation process but will …
Dallas — Slim Chickens, a leading fast-casual franchise which features dine-in and drive-thru in the “better chicken” segment, has signed a multi-unit deal with franchisee Ray Johnson to develop 10 restaurants across Texas’s Collin and Denton counties. The first location is slated to open in 2021. Johnson is pursuing sites in lively towns like Highland Village, Flower Mound and Bartonville, to name a few. There are seven thriving Slim Chickens restaurants open today in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. An experienced restaurant operator, Johnson formerly owned over half-a-dozen units of the …
Walton, Ky. — Dollar General has unveiled plans to open a 630,000-square-foot distribution facility in Walton, Ky., approximately 20 miles south of Cincinnati and the Ohio border. The $65 million investment is expected to bring 250 jobs to the city and support 800 stores. The Walton facility will serve as Dollar General’s 18th distribution center. Construction is scheduled to begin in September with operations to begin in January. Dollar General also plans to build three additional DG Fresh facilities to support a shift toward self-distribution of products that require cold …